![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Business enthusiasts attend DECA International Career Development Conference in Orlando
DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) competitors roam the convention center hallways and exhibit booths on April 23. During the conference, many schools and organizations set up booths to network with students from around the globe.
May 11, 2023
Five chaperones and 42 upper school students participated in the 2023 DECA International Career Development Conference (ICDC) in Orlando, Florida from April 21 to 26.
The conference featured over 20,000 competitors from the U.S. and countries around the world. After arriving, students experienced DECA Day at the Epcot Center in Disney World, where they had the opportunity to explore the park and meet other ICDC qualifiers. Afterward, they attended the grand opening ceremony at the Orange County Convention Center, which recognized all participating chapters and featured guest speakers such as Universal Orlando Senior Vice President of Sales Eric Marshall.
“It was really nice to network with people from across the country during the opening ceremony,” DECA member Evan Matvey (11) said. “I made a lot of new friends and talked to a lot of new people.”
On Sunday and Monday, students competed in their respective prepared written and impromptu roleplay events at the Orange County Convention Center. Competitive event topics included marketing, finance, hospitality & tourism, entrepreneurship and business management. Sathvik Chundru (11), who competed in the integrated marketing campaign (IMC) event, recounts his experience presenting his project in front of a judge.
“It was a bit nerve-wracking at first because there were so many people competing in our event, but I’m confident that we did well,” Sathvik said. “It was a really different experience from any other DECA conference I’ve been to.”
ICDC students had the additional opportunity to visit various exhibit booths in the convention center during their competition days. Booths included interactive simulations like the Knowledge Matters’ Virtual Business Challenge, promotional showcases for schools and a DECA merchandise store.
On Tuesday, students gained recognition at the achievement awards ceremony, and those students competed in a final round before a new set of judges. The top competitors from the final round were additionally recognized at the grand awards ceremony that evening, where the top teams from each competitive event received a DECA glass trophy. Harker placed a total of six top-10 finalists, with three groups winning 5th place and three groups in 6th, 7th and 10th place, respectively.
